1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The beginning of the play is in Los Angeles, California in September of 1987. It starts off with Ana and Carmen arriving at the factory in the early morning then along comes Pancha, Rosali, and Estela. They are all working on the dresses at the factory and it is Ana's first day on the job.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion of the play is when Estela tells the women that she is illegal and is in debt because of the machines.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events take place in L.A. in the 80's where there are lots of immigrants illegally working. There are many times where lamigra is deporting illegal immigrants if they catch them. So, this creates tension in the play because Estela is the last one to not have her papers.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Estela get her papers? Will she finish the dresses on time? Will she finally get out of debt? Will Ana go to college?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. Me against myself: Ana wants to go to college but she can't because she can't afford it me against another individual: Ana is constantly fighting with her mom about her weight, career, and love life. Me against society: Ana being okay with being curvy while society only saw beauty in thin women. Me against fate: She wanted to get out of the factory and go to college, but fate could not let her leave without working for Estela.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moment in the play was when Ana starts taking of her shirt and pants cause she was sweating. Then, when all the other women took off their clothes and felt so liberated by it. They were all at a point where they didn't necessarily like everything about them but theystill loved themselves and thought they were pretty. It was a point in the play where the title works out perfect, because they understand that every size is beautiful. Another theatrical moment is when Rosalie faints in the factory which is when Estela starts to realize she may be overworking these women.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
1. The dresses. The dresses are images in the play because you consistently hear about the women saying they will never fit into those dresses. So you can infer that they are thicker women and they feel as though they aren't as beautiful as skinny ladies. 2. The machines. The machines are images that show the hard work that comes with working in this factory. Immigrants having to work so hard for just the bare minimum. They movie said the each dress was $18 profit for the ladies while the store sold them for $600. It is insane that cheap labor they are providing because they do not have the education to make much more. 3. The mole. The green sauce Carmen brought to lunch that day was not placed in the play for no reason. I think it symoblizes tradition and culture in the community of women. When Carmen spilled the mole on the dresses, it represented that she was still trying to enforce or push on these traditional views on Ana. Ana was very outspoken and modern in the way she thought and her mother was very traditional so she was trying to add these classic views.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
Family, self-esteem, beauty in the media, immigration, unity, feminism, Hispanic culture
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
In this play, family is portrayed by the Hispanic women. This is an old school view of family in Hispanic cultures that my own mother still follows sometimes. It is that women must obey their husbands, women should be helping around the house or working, and that a woman should get beautiful so a man can marry her. My mother still believes that she must do whatever her husband says. Also, that there is much unity between the females of the family like between my grandmother and aunts. The men are excluded in this play which makes the women stronger. Family is also seen between Pancha and Rosali with Carmen's family because even though they are all not blood related, they have a bond that brings them together in the factory.
The beginning of the play is in Los Angeles, California in September of 1987. It starts off with Ana and Carmen arriving at the factory in the early morning then along comes Pancha, Rosali, and Estela. They are all working on the dresses at the factory and it is Ana's first day on the job.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion of the play is when Estela tells the women that she is illegal and is in debt because of the machines.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events take place in L.A. in the 80's where there are lots of immigrants illegally working. There are many times where la migra is deporting illegal immigrants if they catch them. So, this creates tension in the play because Estela is the last one to not have her papers.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Estela get her papers? Will she finish the dresses on time? Will she finally get out of debt? Will Ana go to college?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Me against myself: Ana wants to go to college but she can't because she can't afford it
me against another individual: Ana is constantly fighting with her mom about her weight, career, and love life.
Me against society: Ana being okay with being curvy while society only saw beauty in thin women.
Me against fate: She wanted to get out of the factory and go to college, but fate could not let her leave without working for Estela.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moment in the play was when Ana starts taking of her shirt and pants cause she was sweating. Then, when all the other women took off their clothes and felt so liberated by it. They were all at a point where they didn't necessarily like everything about them but they still loved themselves and thought they were pretty. It was a point in the play where the title works out perfect, because they understand that every size is beautiful. Another theatrical moment is when Rosalie faints in the factory which is when Estela starts to realize she may be overworking these women.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
1. The dresses. The dresses are images in the play because you consistently hear about the women saying they will never fit into those dresses. So you can infer that they are thicker women and they feel as though they aren't as beautiful as skinny ladies.
2. The machines. The machines are images that show the hard work that comes with working in this factory. Immigrants having to work so hard for just the bare minimum. They movie said the each dress was $18 profit for the ladies while the store sold them for $600. It is insane that cheap labor they are providing because they do not have the education to make much more.
3. The mole. The green sauce Carmen brought to lunch that day was not placed in the play for no reason. I think it symoblizes tradition and culture in the community of women. When Carmen spilled the mole on the dresses, it represented that she was still trying to enforce or push on these traditional views on Ana. Ana was very outspoken and modern in the way she thought and her mother was very traditional so she was trying to add these classic views.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
Family, self-esteem, beauty in the media, immigration, unity, feminism, Hispanic culture
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
In this play, family is portrayed by the Hispanic women. This is an old school view of family in Hispanic cultures that my own mother still follows sometimes. It is that women must obey their husbands, women should be helping around the house or working, and that a woman should get beautiful so a man can marry her. My mother still believes that she must do whatever her husband says. Also, that there is much unity between the females of the family like between my grandmother and aunts. The men are excluded in this play which makes the women stronger. Family is also seen between Pancha and Rosali with Carmen's family because even though they are all not blood related, they have a bond that brings them together in the factory.